#* th.

        “ it’s dangerous out here, you know, ” he says with a smile, eyes so much like another - such - traveler’s, if not softer, that surely his concern must be believable. genuine, even. the abyssal prince leaps from his perch atop the domain’s entrance, bending a bit at the hip and sparing the other a wave. “ i ran into a few ruin guards a bit of a way’s back. ”

        “ i should really look where i leap, huh ? ” aether, truthfully, had been perfectly fine. if he’d fallen any further, well, he’d have still caught himself in the end. but this adeptus still had been so gracious to aid a ‘ mortal ’ like him. that’s deserving enough of thanks. “ thanks for, uh, catching me there ... ”

        “ your voice is beautiful. ” it stops him as he passes by and aether can’t help sparing the other a glance and a smile. it reminds him of another voice, one not quite as trained, that used to sing him lullabies when he couldn’t sleep a wink. but, of course, this bard is not his sister ... “ i suppose that’s fitting. hehe ... this city has always been full of music. ”

        “ o - o h, i didn’t mean ... ” yes, he did. “ that’s what happens when you k - kill someone ? ” he already knows this, but aether has shown himself already to be a wee little lamb. an act that his sister would never buy even though they might. he allows the bloodied weapon to slip from his hands and watches as his assailant falls to the ground. ah, oops.

        “ hehe, sorry ... i couldn’t resist. i would actually very much like a glass of wolfhook juice, please. ” it was worth a shot, wasn’t it ? the drinking age in mond is supposed to be eighteen, but aether knows he’s always looked younger than that.

        “ i’m older than i look, you know. so we’re not that different. ” he’s aware the other is an adeptus and, frankly, he’s a bit tired of pretending to be a normal mortal in comparison. as long as this one doesn’t put together that lumine is his sister, things should be fine.

        “ what could the fatui want with me ? ” he’s simply passing through liyue when he knows that lumine won’t be here. there’s no threat of them crossing paths. but, of course, he catches someone’s attention anyway. “ i - i’m not interested in joining. i can hardly fight. ”